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Duplicity in Action: US Hinges Military Aid to Israel on Eased Gaza Plight After Deploying THAAD

© AP Photo / Abdel Kareem HanaPalestinians look at the damage after an Israeli strike hit a tent area in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024
Palestinians look at the damage after an Israeli strike hit a tent area in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024 - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.10.2024
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Hot on the heels of deployment of Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery components to its ally, and underscoring the US’ “ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel”, Washington suddenly judged the moment was ripe to take the moral high ground.
The US has warned Israel in a letter that any further military aid might be at risk unless the humanitarian situation in devastated Gaza is improved.
We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government – including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding nearly 90 percent of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September, […] together with increased lawlessness and looting – are contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in Gaza,” read a Sunday letter, jointly written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and first reported by Israeli News 12.
Addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, it sets out measures that Washington expects Israel to take, including:
Allowing a minimum of 350 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza per day
Opening a new fifth crossing
Implementing humanitarian pauses across Gaza to enable humanitarian activities
Guaranteeing security for humanitarian convoys and movements • Ensuring that the Jordanian Armed Forces corridors operate at full capacity
Opening a new channel between the US and Israeli governments to “raise and discuss civilian harm incidents”
Unless such measures are taken, Israel risks violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, per the letter.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder confirmed on Sunday that President Biden and Pentagon chief Austin had signed off on the deployment of a US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile battery and associated crew in Israel.

Screenshot of X post by Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) agency.
Coincidentally, a day after the letter was sent, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) agency tweeted photos of aid entering Gaza, saying that “Israel is not preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, with an emphasis on food, into Gaza.”
The US has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began, according to a report for Brown University's Costs of War project. Another $4.86 billion had been funneled into stepped-up US military operations in the region since October 7, 2023, the findings show.
© Photo : Watson Institute - Brown UniversityScreenshot of chart showing amount of US military aid to Israel.
Screenshot of chart showing amount of US military aid to Israel. - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.10.2024
Screenshot of chart showing amount of US military aid to Israel.
Overall, Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid since its founding in 1948, according to research by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), receiving about $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance.
© Photo : council on foreign relationsScreenshot of chart showing amount of US aid to Israel.
Screenshot of chart showing amount of US aid to Israel. - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.10.2024
Screenshot of chart showing amount of US aid to Israel.
 In this photo provided by U.S. Forces Korea, trucks carrying U.S. missile launchers and other equipment needed to set up the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system arrive at the Osan air base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Monday, March 6, 2017. - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.10.2024
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